We've spent a few day setting up virtual environments for our little social enterprise and signposting other people to resources they, too, can use.
But we decided to have a virtual pub meet with some Bristol friends on Friday evening.
We set up a Zoom meeting and had a hour or so of catch up with buddies who we would usually see every couple of trips to Bristol.
Obviously, it's not the same but it made a bit of a difference to chuckle with each other for a short time.
We'll undoubtedly do it again before too long and although I'm generally that person who doesn't really miss company all that much (the Best Beer Buddy being an exception, of course) I know it's good for even us introverts not to forget, too much, what being with people is like...
In the meantime I have to say we've particularly enjoyed the pint cans of Arbor beer we bought. C Bomb, Mosaic and Rocket Man. Although we drink them from smaller glasses, it's really nice sharing a can...
Little things...
Saturday, 28 March 2020
Wednesday, 25 March 2020
May you live in interesting times
For us youngsters, we're used to having choice, access and safety.
If you're in your 50's, it's likely that your parents still remember the disruption and fear of state-imposed blackouts and rationing.
For me, the most disrupting thing I've seen before was the imposition of the 3-day week in the 70's.
I did school homework (mainly, I remember learning my 6, 7 & 8 times-tables) by the light of an oil lamp).
I have no idea what the financial impacts were on my parents - they both worked in unskilled, relatively insecure jobs at the time. I imagine they were worried, but they never let me see it. For me, the blackouts were intriguing not scary.
Fast forward...
The move towards lock down is astonishing and it's not surprising for people younger than me that it has entirely reset their model of how society is supposed to work.
I'm still extraordinarily lucky - I have a house to live in and work from, I have a splendid housemate and I'm financially OK.
I work with a group of directors in our small social enterprise who are thoughtful and compassionate and it was easy to take the decision to do the right thing by our part-time workforce.
I'm happy enough staying in my house with a daily local walk but we both really miss beer. We are more likely to talk about anything that's worrying us with a beer, and the world seems a bit more fixable -we often come up with our best plans and strategies when relaxing and overlays of short term anxieties are temporarily pushed aside.
I had a horrible feeling that the deicision would be taken to classify the purchase of alcohol as non-essential. I would understand that reasoning from a public health point of view but it would always be tinged with a slight suspicion that it was "any excuse" to stop people drinking. Anyhow, there was clearly a degree of pragmastism around the table when they made that decision.
Anyhow, my slightly guilt in the purchase of a couple of cases of beer from two of my favourite Bristol Breweries has been assuaged a little and we're looking closer to home for small busineses to support.
In the grand scheme of things is it vital I drink beer? No. But it positively impacts this household's ability to help other people buoyed up especially if they're not as fortunate as us.
If you're in your 50's, it's likely that your parents still remember the disruption and fear of state-imposed blackouts and rationing.
For me, the most disrupting thing I've seen before was the imposition of the 3-day week in the 70's.
I did school homework (mainly, I remember learning my 6, 7 & 8 times-tables) by the light of an oil lamp).
I have no idea what the financial impacts were on my parents - they both worked in unskilled, relatively insecure jobs at the time. I imagine they were worried, but they never let me see it. For me, the blackouts were intriguing not scary.
Fast forward...
The move towards lock down is astonishing and it's not surprising for people younger than me that it has entirely reset their model of how society is supposed to work.
I'm still extraordinarily lucky - I have a house to live in and work from, I have a splendid housemate and I'm financially OK.
I work with a group of directors in our small social enterprise who are thoughtful and compassionate and it was easy to take the decision to do the right thing by our part-time workforce.
I'm happy enough staying in my house with a daily local walk but we both really miss beer. We are more likely to talk about anything that's worrying us with a beer, and the world seems a bit more fixable -we often come up with our best plans and strategies when relaxing and overlays of short term anxieties are temporarily pushed aside.
I had a horrible feeling that the deicision would be taken to classify the purchase of alcohol as non-essential. I would understand that reasoning from a public health point of view but it would always be tinged with a slight suspicion that it was "any excuse" to stop people drinking. Anyhow, there was clearly a degree of pragmastism around the table when they made that decision.
Anyhow, my slightly guilt in the purchase of a couple of cases of beer from two of my favourite Bristol Breweries has been assuaged a little and we're looking closer to home for small busineses to support.
In the grand scheme of things is it vital I drink beer? No. But it positively impacts this household's ability to help other people buoyed up especially if they're not as fortunate as us.
Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Wow, that happened fast!
...quoth Josh Lyman from The West Wing.
No sooner than we think about going to a quieter pub than it becomes our last pub trip for a while.
There's a lot of fury about the government's request to people to stop congregating in public spaces as an epidemic management device.
I'm not an expert so I don't know whether this is proportionate, right, likely to be effective or a devious attempt help buddies of the PM.
What I'm interested to see is how quickly some people just complain about the issue, and others (often much smaller businesses who are used to thinking on their feet) explain why this is bad for them but then also take practical measures to continue to offer their services in some shape or form.
This is one of my favourites from a restaurant I like in Bristol but haven't managed to get back to, yet,
HERE
Also, our local bottle shop reacted immediately to say they'd be working on home deliveries soon.
I also see breweries in Sussex and Bristol offering to deliver to people.
Do I think that government needs to offer financial support to businesses? I'm also more likely to put myself out for a smaller trader who is taking practical steps for themselves.
Me?
I'll be heading to Bottle Grove in the next couple of days to pick up some take-out beer, I've also resolved to go to my local butcher more often.
I'm really going to miss the pub, though.
No sooner than we think about going to a quieter pub than it becomes our last pub trip for a while.
There's a lot of fury about the government's request to people to stop congregating in public spaces as an epidemic management device.
I'm not an expert so I don't know whether this is proportionate, right, likely to be effective or a devious attempt help buddies of the PM.
What I'm interested to see is how quickly some people just complain about the issue, and others (often much smaller businesses who are used to thinking on their feet) explain why this is bad for them but then also take practical measures to continue to offer their services in some shape or form.
This is one of my favourites from a restaurant I like in Bristol but haven't managed to get back to, yet,
HERE
Also, our local bottle shop reacted immediately to say they'd be working on home deliveries soon.
I also see breweries in Sussex and Bristol offering to deliver to people.
Do I think that government needs to offer financial support to businesses? I'm also more likely to put myself out for a smaller trader who is taking practical steps for themselves.
Me?
I'll be heading to Bottle Grove in the next couple of days to pick up some take-out beer, I've also resolved to go to my local butcher more often.
I'm really going to miss the pub, though.
Sunday, 15 March 2020
Difficult Times
I'm one of those folk who hates to think I might be "one of those people"...
So I'm trying really hard not to over-react to advice...nor to under-react.
There's been a weird virusy thing in our household for 3 weeks - since we last came back from Bristol - it has knocked the stuffing out of the pair of us and we're not right yet. In fact, this morning I woke with a new and novel kind of wheezy cough. Still, our lack of high temperature seems to indicate this is a standard, if rotten, cold-and-flu-season respiritory illness.
I'm really aware that, particularly for small businesses, the lack of normal business going on could be a genuine business-killer. In my day job we're already thinking about how we support our staff as they're all casual workers but don't impact too badly on our finances, which are shaky at the best of times.
As a science, stats and medicine nerd I'm finding the discourse everywhere I look fascinating.
I'm finding the government information confusing.
On social media, I'm finding the diatribe obnoxious and appearing to be ill-informed.
As a beer drinker I'm wracked with indecision.
We went to the pub on Thursday for the first time in a few days and it was a delight to have fresh cask beer after a few hard days of working with people. On Friday, my version of the virus asserted itself again and I felt rough so we camped out in the lounge with a bottle of red and film instead.
Yesterday we were both a bit stir-crazy. Should we go to the pub or not?
In the end we decided that a slightly longer than usual walk to a local would give us both fresh air and beer - so we went to the Hurst Arms.
For the time of day we drink it's a pretty good exercise in gentle social distancing. We were initally the only people in the lounge and when we were joined by a small group - they sat over on the other side.
We only had a couple of pints and it definitely did us good. It brought a tiny bit of revenue to the pub and I'm hoping it signalled an appropriate approach. At least I'm hoping it did.
We're now working out how to get some emergency beer in the fridge.
Today we were supposed to be meeting a volunteer group in a pub to plan a project we're all working on. Unfortunately, one of the people has a possible contact with someone with the virus; my cough is making me feel a bit rough and who wants to be "that person" coughing in the pub and then a third member of the party has another (unrelated) health flare-up so we're postponing. I still think it's important we try and meet up for a beer once this bloody cough has gone though...
So I'm trying really hard not to over-react to advice...nor to under-react.
There's been a weird virusy thing in our household for 3 weeks - since we last came back from Bristol - it has knocked the stuffing out of the pair of us and we're not right yet. In fact, this morning I woke with a new and novel kind of wheezy cough. Still, our lack of high temperature seems to indicate this is a standard, if rotten, cold-and-flu-season respiritory illness.
I'm really aware that, particularly for small businesses, the lack of normal business going on could be a genuine business-killer. In my day job we're already thinking about how we support our staff as they're all casual workers but don't impact too badly on our finances, which are shaky at the best of times.
As a science, stats and medicine nerd I'm finding the discourse everywhere I look fascinating.
I'm finding the government information confusing.
On social media, I'm finding the diatribe obnoxious and appearing to be ill-informed.
As a beer drinker I'm wracked with indecision.
We went to the pub on Thursday for the first time in a few days and it was a delight to have fresh cask beer after a few hard days of working with people. On Friday, my version of the virus asserted itself again and I felt rough so we camped out in the lounge with a bottle of red and film instead.
Yesterday we were both a bit stir-crazy. Should we go to the pub or not?
In the end we decided that a slightly longer than usual walk to a local would give us both fresh air and beer - so we went to the Hurst Arms.
For the time of day we drink it's a pretty good exercise in gentle social distancing. We were initally the only people in the lounge and when we were joined by a small group - they sat over on the other side.
We only had a couple of pints and it definitely did us good. It brought a tiny bit of revenue to the pub and I'm hoping it signalled an appropriate approach. At least I'm hoping it did.
We're now working out how to get some emergency beer in the fridge.
Today we were supposed to be meeting a volunteer group in a pub to plan a project we're all working on. Unfortunately, one of the people has a possible contact with someone with the virus; my cough is making me feel a bit rough and who wants to be "that person" coughing in the pub and then a third member of the party has another (unrelated) health flare-up so we're postponing. I still think it's important we try and meet up for a beer once this bloody cough has gone though...
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